


Underneath the Stars

by TomatoBookworm



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Geminids Exchange, Multi, Polyamory, Stargazing, earth vs space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21794701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomatoBookworm/pseuds/TomatoBookworm
Summary: Fitz is a seasoned agent. He can certainly handle a field mission on his own, with his mate Hunter providing (helpful?) commentary and advice in his ear. At least, so he thinks until he runs into unexpected company underneath the stars.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 18
Kudos: 17





	Underneath the Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentOfShip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/gifts).



> *This work is posted on ArchiveOfOurOwn.org for free. I do not object to personal downloads via ArchiveOfOurOwn. If you are reading it through any other means, please know that you are doing so on an unauthorized site/app. Thank you. 
> 
> Geminids Exchange gift for the great @agentofship. Hope you like it! Prompts in the end notes to avoid spoilers.
> 
> A huge thank you to @LibbyWeasley for the beta! She made the whole fic flow so much better!

Fitz hauled his telescope up the hill, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the two women already standing there. 

“Oh hello.” One of them smiled at him. Her eyes shone like the setting sun. “Are you here to watch the Geminids too? You are welcome to join us.”

“Jemma, you can’t assume everyone you meet is a science lover like you are,” the other woman admonished her companion. “He might be an axe murderer for all we know.” Neither of them seemed inclined to run away screaming or even drop their linked hands. 

“I will show you an ex-murderer,” Hunter muttered in the communication device in Fitz’s ear. “Bloody hell. What is Bobbi doing here?”

“You can’t murder your ex,” Fitz said automatically as he adjusted his glasses to give Hunter a better visual from the embedded camera. He noticed the women looking at him and tried to cover his slip. “I mean, you can’t commit murder with an axe. No one does it in real life. Well, I am sure you can if you try, but I hope not. It would be very messy.”

“I am sure Bobbi and I can come up with some way of cleaning up the crime scene,” Jemma said. 

“Of course we can, but let’s not reveal all our secrets to someone we’ve just met.” Bobbi gave him a nod that was probably meant to be friendly and reassuring. With her majestic height and flowing hair, she looked more like a hunting goddess instead. “Don’t worry. We are scientists, not axe murderers. Although astronomy is a hobby and not our regular field.” She held out a hand. “Bobbi Morse, biologist.”

“Oh! Um. Leo Fitz, engineer.” 

“Jemma Simmons, biochemist.” 

Jemma put her hand over Fitz and Bobbi’s in a three-way handshake. Fitz shivered. Jemma’s fingers were slightly cool in the cold evening air, but Bobbi’s hand kept them all warm. 

“Lance Hunter, professional spy and the only person remembering that we are on a mission. Fitz, stop gawking at the ladies and get a move on, will you?”

Fitz extracted his hand reluctantly and attempted a casual smile. “So, you are here for the meteor shower too?”

“It is the best spot for stargazing in the vicinity,” Jemma said. “Would you like to help me set up the blanket so we can all sit together?”

“Yeah, then I can show you my telescope.” He had made some modifications to the tool. Even if it wasn’t related to biochemistry, she might still be interested to see the work. 

“Easy there, mate,” Hunter said over comms. “Showing a girl your equipment on the first meeting. You have to ease into these kind of things.”

Damnit, Hunter! There were probably cameras everywhere, considering they were standing atop of a suspected underground enemy base. Now was not the time to think about sex and romance, even if Jemma’s lips did look particularly inviting in the dusk. Was she wearing red lipstick?

They spread out the blanket on the grass. Fitz began setting up his telescope, and Jemma came over to his side. Her body hid his fingers from view as they chatted about their favorite constellations, and Fitz surreptitiously turned on the monitoring device hidden inside the telescope case. By the time the meteor shower was over, he should capture enough data for the strike team to plan its next move. 

“I love the improvements you’ve made to this.” Jemma’s breath brushed his face, and Fitz swallowed. “Mind if I try it out?”

“Go ahead. You can always touch my bits. I mean my tool. I mean my telescope!” 

Hunter was laughing too much to even make a lewd joke in Fitz’s ear. Jemma gave him a fond smile but mercifully refrained from teasing. As Jemma adjusted the eyepiece, Fitz backed away before he could say anything else stupid. 

He turned around and realized he had forgotten about Bobbi. No, that wasn’t true. He could never forget about Bobbi. She was as bright as the moon. Like the celestial body though, Bobbi’s presence waxed and waned as she hid herself from notice. Fitz had never gone on an undercover field mission with Bobbi before, but he knew from Hunter’s stories that she could disappear into the crowd whenever she wanted. 

Bobbi had chosen to melt into the background so far, but now she beckoned him from the blanket. Fitz sat down beside her. 

“Hi,” Fitz started, but he wasn’t sure how to continue. Was Bobbi here to gather intelligence as well? Why did she bring Jemma, who never excelled in going undercover? Did they think he couldn’t handle the mission on his own?

“Hi.” Bobbi said. “You and Jemma seem to be hitting it off pretty well.”

“We were talking, that’s all,” Fitz said. “Didn’t mean to ignore you.” Bobbi was trying to escape notice because they were under surveillance, right? “Are you alright?”

“Just enjoying this beautiful night.” Bobbi smiled warmly at him. “Thank you for setting up the telescope. You did it so well without any help. Now we can all relax and watch the stars together.”

Fitz let himself lie back on the blanket. Bobbi and Jemma were only here for backup. They trusted him to do the job right. “I am glad you are here.”

“We were lucky to run into you,” Bobbi said in a teasing tone. Even in the dim starlight, he could see her painted red lips draw up in a smirk. “Jemma was wishing she could talk shop with someone, and look at who she found.”

“That’s not true, she had you right there,” Fitz answered without thinking. “You are a scientist too.” 

“I am.” Bobbi’s voice was soft. “Still, I am sure Jemma enjoyed chatting with you.”

Fitz scratched his neck. He understood the cover story Bobbi was trying to establish. They were strangers meeting underneath the stars. Bobbi was placing Fitz and Jemma in a romantic meet-cute scenario while assigning herself to the supportive friend role. It would make sense to any cameras spying on them. 

Screw it. He might not be a dashing James Bond type of man who could seduce women on the first meeting, but he could be himself. Fitz couldn’t let Bobbi sit alone in the dark while he and Jemma paired off.

“I think I am the lucky one, to run into two intelligent and beautiful women underneath the stars,” Fitz said with determination. “We can all enjoy talking with each other.”

“Hey Fitz?” Hunter asked in his ear. “You realize that to the people watching, you are supposed to hit on Jemma, not Bobbi, right?”

“There’s no reason why we can’t all be friends,” Fitz said out loud. “Hey Jemma? Do you want to join us on the blanket?”

“Of course.” Jemma turned around and paused. Even in the dark, Fitz could tell she was trying to decipher their body language, figuring out her own cues for the cover story. 

Bobbi moved towards the edge of the blanket. “Here, Jemma. Sit by him.”

“Sit by both of us,” Fitz said. “Better yet, how about we all lie down? Then we can see the stars without craning our necks.”

“Hey, I like having Bobbi sitting up,” Hunter said in Fitz’s ear. “It’s an excellent view when you are on your back, and don’t pretend to disagree.”

Fitz tilted his head. Not to give Hunter a better camera angle. Bobbi knew the glasses came with nighttime vision, and they would both get into trouble if she thought they were staring at her chest during a mission. He trusted Jemma to read his face even in the starlight. 

“We might be strangers before,” Fitz said for the benefit of anyone listening. “But we can get to know each other and become friends. All of us.”

Jemma considered his suggestion for a moment, then she shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

What? Where was she going with this? 

“I think it’s obvious we will all be more than friends,” Jemma continued. She laid down by Fitz and tugged on Bobbi’s sleeve. “Come on. Lie down with us.”

“Oh fine.” Bobbi sounded exasperated, but Fitz could hear the fondness underneath. “If you insist.”

“Jemma, you absolute beauty!” Hunter laughed. “Now here’s a more believable story.”

The cover he suggested was perfectly fine! Fitz huffed as he rolled towards Jemma, who was already draping her arms around Bobbi so they would all fit on the blanket. 

“This,” Hunter said over comms. “This is why you can’t all be friends. At least not to anyone who’s watching. Because it’s been less than a minute and you are already in a doggy pile.”

Hunter was the one to talk, as if he could ever resist cuddling with them. Fitz breathed in Jemma’s familiar scent. Bobbi won’t wear perfume on a mission and she was too far away to touch, but he took comfort in the knowledge that she was near. If only Hunter was here as well. 

The conversation stayed light as the three of them jumped from astronomy to astrophysics to legends of stars. At some point, they all drew even closer together for warmth. 

“The shower is almost over,” Fitz mumbled into Jemma’s hair. “I should get up and put the telescope away.”

“But Bobbi hadn’t looked through it yet,” Jemma protested. She snuggled further into Bobbi’s arms. “Don’t you want to check out the telescope too?”

“That’s right, mate, you have to be fair to both ladies,” Hunter said in Fitz’s ear. “No playing favorites now. Go on, show her your equipment.”

Hunter knew he didn’t need any help with demonstrating his tool, thanks very much. Fitz straightened up and held out both hands. 

“Ladies, would you like to use my telescope?”

Jemma and Bobbi put their hands in his. As they all stood, Bobbi whispered in Fitz’s ear. 

“You are getting awfully confident.” 

Well, Hunter and Jemma were right. He wasn’t going to convince anyone that they were platonic cuddling buddies, so he might as well let whoever’s watching draw a different conclusion. 

Fitz picked up the case from the ground. Jemma was talking excitedly about the stars while Bobbi adjusted the telescope. As Fitz came up to them, both women moved to let him in, and he turned off the monitoring device with his fingers hidden from view. 

He rested his chin on Jemma’s shoulder while reaching an arm around Bobbi’s waist. “Enjoying the stars?”

“What are you doing?” Bobbi asked with a hint of amusement. 

“It’s cold outside,” Fitz said. “The meteor shower is over. Can I offer you both a cup of hot tea back at my place?”

“That sounds lovely,” Jemma said. “Let’s get out of here.” Her hand moved slightly and Fitz answered her fist bump without looking down. 

“So your exit strategy is to convince the enemy you are running off to have a threesome?” Hunter murmured in Fitz’s ear. “And people say I am dramatic. Seems like I am rubbing off on you.”

Not literally at the moment, but they would correct that soon enough. “Let’s start walking,” Fitz said out loud. “My mate is supposed to pick me up right about now. I am sure he won’t mind you coming along for the ride.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Hunter said. “Hold your horses.” The noise of a car shifting gears sounded faintly in the background. 

A nondescript van was waiting for them when they reached the foot of the hill. Hunter opened the door. “Your chariot awaits.”

Fitz climbed into the front passenger seat while Bobbi and Jemma settled in the back row. They waited until the car drove out of possible surveillance camera range, then they all began at once. 

“It really is quite cold. Hunter, is there any tea—”

“We are calling this a chariot now?”

“Fitz, did you get the info after all that—”

“It’s only a threesome because you weren’t there!”

Everyone paused at Fitz’s statement. Hunter glanced at Fitz quickly while passing a thermos towards Jemma. 

“I know, mate. I was only teasing.”

“Well I didn’t want you to feel left out,” Fitz said. “Or Bobbi. I know I am not an expert in the field and I didn’t follow her lead, but it didn’t feel right, to pretend that only Jemma and I are a couple. We are together, all four of us.”

“You were wonderful, Fitz,” Jemma said as she sipped from the thermos. “Coulson had wanted to send more people with you in the first place, and Bobbi finished her other mission earlier than expected, so I volunteered to help Bobbi establish her cover. We couldn’t risk patching into your existing communications channel with Hunter, but you handled the surprise perfectly.”

“Wish Coulson would have warned me at least,” Hunter complained. “I almost had a heart attack when I saw you two there.”

“Yeah, but you still can’t be an ex-murderer because Bobbi’s not your ex anymore,” Fitz said. 

“So that’s what the line was about?” Bobbi asked. “What else was Hunter saying on the comms?”

“Um.” He should probably not mention how much they both enjoyed the view of Bobbi sitting up over him, at least not while Hunter’s driving. Safety first and all. 

“I gave him advice on how to show off his equipment,” Hunter said. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“It was a very nice telescope,” Jemma agreed. “And he also offered us a ride.” She leaned forward to kiss Hunter’s shoulder. “What do you say, Hunter? Can I ride you later?”

Hunter’s breath hitched. “You can’t say that to a man when he’s driving, love.”

“That’s right, Hunter is still our chariot driver for now,” Bobbi said. She moved to kiss Hunter’s cheek and left a faint red impresion slightly more defined than the stain on his shoulder. “We can have fun with him when we get home.” 

“What, no jokes about me being the stallion?” Hunter asked. He was smiling despite the grumpy tone. “Why am I getting all the attention now?”

“Because we wanted to see the stars with you too,” Fitz said. Cuddling with Jemma and Bobbi on the hill had been nice, but he couldn’t fully enjoy it when he knew Hunter was sitting out there alone in the van. 

“Seeing stars?” Hunter snorted. “The bad puns are catching.”

“If you’re rubbing off on me, then so are Bobbi and Jemma,” Fitz said. 

“It’s almost as if we’ve been spending time together,” Bobbi smirked.

“And now we can go home and shower one another with even more affection,” Jemma said. 

They all pretended to groan at the word play. Fitz leaned back in his seat and rested a hand on Hunter’s thigh. Bobbi was rubbing Jemma’s fingers again to warm them from the cold. Hunter was asking Jemma about all the stars she saw. Fitz caught Bobbi’s smile in the rearview mirror. The four of them still had to go back to the base and debrief, but they were already home. 

**Author's Note:**

> The prompts were: 
> 
> Prompt 1: Strangers meeting as they watch the stars (or geminids shower)  
> Prompt 2: Secret relationship
> 
> I had so much fun with combining the prompts! Hope everyone enjoy this little piece of fluff :)


End file.
